Andre Dawson

Lore & Background

An 8-time National League (NL) All-Star, he was named the league's Rookie of the Year in 1977 after batting .282 with 19 home runs and 65 runs batted in (RBI), and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1987 after leading the league with 49 homers and 137 RBI; he had been runner-up for the award in both 1981 and 1983. He batted .300 five times, drove in 100 runs four times and had 13 seasons of 20 home runs. A strong base-runner early in his career, he also stole 30 bases three times.

He is one of eight MLB players with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases during his career. Dawson was a center fielder until knee problems – worsened by the artificial surface at Olympic Stadium – forced his shift to right field, followed by his move to a team which played on grass. He led the NL in outfield putouts three consecutive years (1981–1983), and won eight Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence. Dawson was known for his incredible work ethic and study of the game.

He was often seen in the dugout with a clipboard in-hand documenting pitches and pitcher tendencies. This was long before such practices were common-place and such information was readily available. Upon his retirement, his NL totals of 409 home runs and 962 extra base hits both ranked tenth in league history; he also ranked seventh in NL history in games as an outfielder (2,303), and sixth in both outfield putouts (5,116) and total chances (5,366).

He set Expos franchise records for career games, at bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, runs batted in, extra base hits, total bases, and steals, all of which have since been broken variously by Tim Raines, Tim Wallach and Vladimir Guerrero. In 2010, Dawson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Reader's Guide

Dawson grew up in Florida as the oldest of eight children. His father was a major general in the United States Army and often absent, leaving Dawson to look after his seven younger siblings while his mother worked. Dawson would pay his younger brothers in cookies to toss him rocks for him to hit with a broomstick as batting practice. Dawson's nickname, "The Hawk", was given to him by an uncle at a very early age.

Dawson used to work out with a men's team that would hit him ground balls at practice. Dawson's uncle told him that most kids his age would shy away from the ball, but Dawson attacked the ball like a hawk. Dawson attended and graduated from Southwest Miami Senior High School in 1972. In high school, he suffered multiple knee injuries which hampered his athletic development.

He did not draw any attention from professional scouts or college recruiters and took out student loans in order to enroll at Florida A&M University. At Florida A&M, Dawson walked on to the Rattlers baseball team as a freshman. He spent three years at Florida A&M which he later said paved the way for his future.

Did You Know?

• Dawson was selected by the Expos in the 11th round (pick #250) of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft.
• He made his MLB debut on September 11, 1976.
• Dawson hit two home runs in the same inning twice: at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium against the Atlanta Braves on July 30, 1978 and at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs on September 24, 1985.
• In 1984, Dawson appeared in The Cap, a short film about a young boy living in Montreal who was given a baseball cap by Dawson.
• Dawson was the first player to win a league MVP trophy from a last place team.